Empowerment of teaching and learning chemistry through information and communication technologies

There is an obvious growing of the importance of information and  communication technologies (ICTs) in science education. It is used as a tool for designing new learning environments, integrating virtual models and creating learning communities (e-learning). However, e-learning used in teaching and learning chemistry, including informative material in electronic forms such as; www-pages e-mails, and discussion forums enhances teaching and learning chemistry. In addition to the material delivery and implementation of new electronic tools the e-learning process requires support in technical matters, especial activation of learning processes, and cooperation between teachers to exchange their  experiences and ideas. It is very important to create e-learning in high quality that requires quality management to standardize approaches of e-learning. International cooperation would emphasize these requirements, and even more. In this paper I report experiences of developing a bilingual (English-Arabic) chemistry course in which web or virtual learning environment has been utilized. There is a need for increasing cooperation between teachers, in different countries web-based teaching and learning chemistry. Nowadays extremely actual and perspective educational  technique is used, which is the mobile learning (m-learning). Mobile  learning is the intersection of mobile computing (the application of small, portable, and wireless computing and communication devices) and e-learning (learning facilitated and supported through the use of  information and communications technology). Mobile learning that provides learning is truly independent of time and place and facilitated by portable computers capable of providing rich interactivity, total connectivity, and powerful processing. In May 2005, Ellen Wagner, senior director of GlobalEducation Solutions at Macromedia, proclaimed that the mobile revolution had finally arrived. [AJCE 4(3), Special Issue, May 2014

Pengaruh dan Otoritas (Kajian Teori dan Praktek Konseling)

Perilaku individu merupakan cerminan dari kepribadiannya, baikperilaku untuk mempengaruhi orang lain maupun perilaku otoriteratau tidak. Individu sebagai makhluk sosial yang tidak lepas dalamberinteraksi dengan lingkungannya. Apapun statusnya pada prosesinteraksi tersebut terjalin hubungan yang bertujuan mempengaruhiorang lain dalam rangka memenuhi kebutuhannya. Terkadangpemenuhan kebutuhan ini dengan mempengaruhi pihak lain melaluiteknik dan cara yang baik dan bjaksana, namun terkadang puladengan otoriter karena dilandasi oleh kekuasaan, kekuatan, danjabatan yang melekat pada dirinya, akan tetapi hal tersebut akanmelahirkan ketidak harmonisan di antara semua pihak, danberdampak negatif sehingga menimbulkan konflik dan kekerasan,sebagaimana fenomena akhir-akhir ini. Secara teoritis maupunpraktis, konseling telah membahas persoalan ini melaluipenyikapan terhadap kepribadiaan seseorang yang terkait dengan“diri” individu, di antaranya: self insight,attitude change, selfacceptance, motivation, dan problem solving

Muslim Cultural Identity and Attitude Change Among Tolakinese Comunity in Kendari

This article analyses the changing attitude and cultural identity of Tolakinese Muslim Community in Kendari. It focuses on four cultural values: 1) kohanu (shy); 2) merou (courtesy); samaturu (solidarity); 4) taa ehe tunai tui (introspection). The findings shows that people in the rural area are generally maintaining their culture while people in urban area have a contrast attitude as cultural values have been degraded in practices. This degradation eventually resulted in the changing attitudes of Tolakinese society. In general, even though there is a small group of people who still understand and or practice the tradition, there is a trend of degradation in the cultural values. There are factors behind this trend, among them are: education, living in the city and mixed marriage. Realizing the potential extinction and the importance of the tradition, several efforts are taken by traditional leaders aiming at preserving the culture of Tolaki. Among the efforts are socialization and contextualization of the tradition in line with the development and the values of Islam

Intestinal epithelial responses to Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis: Effects on intestinal permeability and ion transport

Salmonella infection of chickens that leads to potential human foodborne salmonellosis continues to be a major concern. Chickens serve as carriers but, in contrast to humans, rarely show any clinical signs including diarrhea. The present investigations aimed to elucidate whether the absence of diarrhea during acute Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) infection may be linked to specific changes in the electrophysiological properties of the chicken gut. Immediately after slaughter, intestinal pieces of the mid-jejunum and cecum of either commercial broiler or specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were mounted in Ussing chambers in 2 separate experimental series. Living Salmonella Enteritidis (3 × 109) or Salmonella Enteritidis endotoxin (20 mg/L), or both, were added to the mucosal side for 1 h. In both experimental series, the Salmonella infection decreased the trans-epithelial ion conductance Gt (P < 0.05). In the jejunum of SPF chickens, there was also a marked decrease in net charge transfer across the epithelium, evidenced by decreased short-circuit current (Isc, P < 0.05). Interestingly, the mucosal application of Salmonella endotoxin to the epithelial preparations from jejunum and cecum of SPF chicken had an effect similar to living bacteria. However, the endotoxin had no additional effect on the intestinal function in the presence of bacteria. The decreasing effect of Salmonella and or its endotoxin on Gt could be partly reversed by serosal addition of histamine. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address the functional response of native intestinal epithelium of chicken to an in vitro Salmonella infection. For the first time, it can be reported that intestinal ion permeability of chicken decreases acutely by the presence of Salmonella. This type of response could counteract ion and fluid secretion and may thus, at least in part, explain why chickens do not develop overt diarrhea after Salmonella infection

Campylobacter jejuni colonization promotes the translocation of Escherichia coli to extra-intestinal organs and disturbs the short-chain fatty acids profiles in the chicken gut

For a long time Campylobacter was only considered as a commensal microorganism in avian hosts restricted to the ceca, without any pathogenic features. The precise reasons for the symptomless chicken carriers are still unknown, but investigations of the gastrointestinal ecology of broiler chickens may improve our understanding of the microbial interactions with the host. Therefore, the current studies were conducted to investigate the effects of Campylobacter jejuni colonization on Escherichia coli translocation and on the metabolic end products (short-chain fatty acids, SCFAs). Following oral infection of 14 day old broiler chickens with 1 × 108 CFU of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 12744 in two independent animal trials, it was found that C. jejuni heavily colonized the intestine and disseminate to extra-intestinal organs. Moreover, in both animal trials, the findings revealed that C. jejuni promoted the translocation of E. coli with a higher number encountered in the spleen and liver at 14 days post infection (dpi). In addition, Campylobacter affected the microbial fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers by reducing the amount of propionate, isovalerate, and isobutyrate in the cecal digesta of the infected birds at 2 dpi and, at 7 and 14 dpi, butyrate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate were also decreased. However, in the jejunum, the C. jejuni infection lowered only butyrate concentrations at 14 dpi. These data indicated that C. jejuni may utilize SCFAs as carbon sources to promote its colonization in the chicken gut, suggesting that Campylobacter cannot only alter gut colonization dynamics but might also influence physiological processes due to altered microbial metabolite profiles. Finally, the results demonstrated that C. jejuni can cross the intestinal epithelial barrier and facilitates the translocation of Campylobacter itself as well as of other enteric microorganisms such as E. coli to extra-intestinal organs of infected birds. Altogether, our findings suggest that the Campylobacter carrier state in chicken is characterised by multiple changes in the intestinal barrier function, which supports multiplication and survival within the host

Investigation of nanodispersion in polystyrene-montmorillonite nanocomposites by solid state NMR

Nanocomposites result from combinations of materials with vastly different properties in the nanometer scale. These materials exhibit many unique properties such as improved thermal stability, reduced flammability, and improved mechanical properties. Many of the properties associated with polymer–clay nanocomposites are a function of the extent of exfoliation of the individual clay sheets or the quality of the nanodispersion. This work demonstrates that solid-state NMR can be used to characterize, quantitatively, the nanodispersion of variously modified montmorillonite (MMT) clays in polystyrene (PS) matrices. The direct influence of the paramagnetic Fe3, embedded in the aluminosilicate layers of MMT, on polymer protons within about 1 nm from the clay surfaces creates relaxation sources, which, via spin diffusion, significantly shorten the overall proton longitudinal relaxation time (T1 H). Deoxygenated samples were used to avoid the particularly strong contribution to the T1 H of PS from paramagnetic molecular oxygen. We used T1 H as an indicator of the nanodispersion of the clay in PS. This approach correlated reasonably well with X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data. A model for interpreting the saturation-recovery data is proposed such that two parameters relating to the dispersion can be extracted. The first parameter, f, is the fraction of the potentially available clay surface that has been transformed into polymer–clay interfaces. The second parameter is a relative measure of the homogeneity of the dispersion of these actual polymer–clay interfaces. Finally, a quick assay of T1 H is reported for samples equilibrated with atmospheric oxygen. Included are these samples as well as 28 PS/MMT nanocomposite samples prepared by extrusion. These measurements are related to the development of highthroughput characterization techniques. This approach gives qualitative indications about dispersion; however, the more time-consuming analysis, of a few deoxygenated samples from this latter set, offers significantly greater insight into the clay dispersion. A second, probably superior, rapid-analysis method, applicable to oxygen-containing samples, is also demonstrated that should yield a reasonable estimate of the f parameter. Thus, for PS/MMT nanocomposites, one has the choice of a less complete NMR assay of dispersion that is significantly faster than TEM analysis, versus a slower and more complete NMR analysis with sample times comparable to TEM, information rivaling that of TEM, and a substantial advantage that this is a bulk characterization method. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.* J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3188–3213, 200

Comparative Morphological Studies on Lyssa in Carnivores and Camels with Special Reference to Its Surgical Resection

The lyssa is a morphologically supporting structure situated along the median plan on the ventral surface of the apex of the tongue in some animals. The present study aimed to describe the morphological differences of the lyssa in carnivores (dog and cat) and camel using conformist macroscopic and microscopic methods as well as evaluation of its surgical resection in the dog and cat. The lyssa is a rod-shaped in dog, strip like structure in cat and ridge-like structure in camel. It showed straight course in dog and helical appearance in cat. In the studied species, the lyssa was formed from adipose tissue intermingled with irregular connective tissue. However, dense striated muscles fibers were seen in the caudal half of the lyssa in dog. Besides, few bundles of longitudinally running muscle fibers were observed in cat and camel. In dog, the lyssa was defined by a coarse sheath of connective tissue, this capsule was ill-defined in cat and absent in camel. In cat, a pyramidal extension of the adipose tissue of the lyssa was attached to intrinsic striated muscle of the tongue. Full function of the tongue could be achieved after surgical resection of lyssa in dogs and cats